Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

"Talking"

Thoughts

Flashbacks

----------- Change of scene

Demons Dawn Chapter Four: Clarity

A cold wind was starting to prevail in the land of the hidden village. The brightly colored red bird was moving from branch to branch singing furiously its cry sharp and fierce. Naruto wondered at the beauty of it. He also wondered why it was still here with winter so near. There was a wild freedom in it, restricted only by the laws of nature. For even something as wild and free as bird must be born, procreate, maybe migrate, and then die. Naruto thought bitterly about this, about the whole lie that birds were the freest creatures in the world.

Sasuke was puzzled at the bitter look in Naruto's eyes, then as quickly as it had come it was gone as the bird flew out of sight. Naruto rocked on the balls of his feet before he turned to Sasuke.

"So what were you saying?" Naruto asked politely, there was a glazed disinterested look in his eyes. But he was listening Sasuke could tell.

"If you ever asked around you could tell that the outside civilians brought from the outside are always paired up with someone from the village. I'm basically your encyclopedia, ask me anything about this village and I will answer what I can. And," there was a pause as Sasuke continued, "do you feel any loyalty to the village of Konoha?" Naruto froze in place, a wicked smile lighted his face.

"Should I?" he asked the smile leaving his face. Sasuke said nothing and did nothing as he saw that Naruto was thinking things over. Different emotions were seen on the blonds face.

He finally spoke up, "I figured something like this was going to happen. This is my home now or at least it will be until I become what I must be, stronger. The contract binds me legally to Konoha and if I ever betrayed it I could be hunted down. I knew that when I signed it I'm just glad that Tenchi-san was so happy that I was recruited that he didn't read all the fine print. So yes I do feel a loyalty to Konoha for making Tenchi-san so happy and proud of me, and because of that it made me happy for a while too. So does that answer your question on my loyalty to Konoha?"

There was something to the way Naruto stood looking so week and defeated with so much sadness to him that it was very hard to believe that he was a constantly grinning boy so full of light and hope. Our hearts beat as one dobe, Sasuke thought as he looked on, I can feel the great sadness coming from you. Can it possibly be greater then mine? No! I can't go soft I have to be strong! But Naruto had touched him in way no one else had done so before.

The light returned to Naruto as he thought about all the wonderful things that could be, Sasuke had to blink at the transformation.

Sasuke nodded and smiled.

"Come on lets go explore your new home. The Hidden Nin Village of Konoha."

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The village was alive with people. Naruto was in a fit of glee as he looked around. The village was full of colors and vendors selling their ware to the ladies and rarely to the men. Groups of giggling girls stood in groups staring at the male passerby's, Naruto frowned at them but they only hissed at him. There were real Shinobi walking around like it was nobodies business that they were carrying shiny weapons that could easily kill any one of them in a seconds notice. But the vendors of this town looked beyond the warrior and into the potential customers, Naruto had to chuckle at that. He wanted to look at all the shiny objects but knew he couldn't because he had no money. Because he couldn't even buy anything he only dare glance and enjoy the walk.

"Hey dobe?" it was Sasuke.

"Huun?" Naruto said absently as he continued to look around, not realizing that he had answered to what now had become his nickname.

"What's wrong with your face?"

"Nothing," Naruto said before he stopped and whirled on Sasuke, "what do you mean what's wrong with my face!?" Sasuke looked sideways as Naruto screamed. The village was loud enough so that Naruto's screams wouldn't be notice too much but of course, as it always was with Naruto, it attracted some attention.

"Those whisker marks...." Sasuke mumbled but Naruto's sharp ear caught it.

"Oh, those," Naruto touched the whisker marks lightly with his hands, he had the most endearing look on his face that the giggling girls actually dared to look twice at him, "oh I don't know I guess their birthmarks or something. I've tried to take them off but it always heals over new as before."

Naruto's eyes dared Sasuke to ask him what he had done to his face that would require healing, but Sasuke said nothing as he walked past him and into the throng of the village. Naruto paused a while before he turned around.

"Hey bastard wait up for me," Naruto shouted as he ran up to Sasuke. Sasuke only hunched up his shoulders and didn't turn around. Naruto caught up with him and fell in perfect rhythm with Sasuke.

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One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. Naruto's head was starting to spin. He had been watching two girls play with a ball, passing it back and forth with a lot of force each time stopping at ten and starting over. The two girls were obviously kunoichi by the way they moved, even the ball was quietly slapped or tossed to the other side. And the holster they had in reach of their hands held sharp kunai's. But they weren't very fast Naruto could tell they weren't as fast as him.

This part of the village was quite deserted by the normal people of Konoha with only obvious Shinobi loitering around, but Naruto also saw that were gathering information on one another seizing up the competition. Naruto found all this very amusing, this was not the city were he had lived at all.

"Usual hang out?" Naruto asked absentmindedly.

"Not mine," Sasuke answered as he moved on beyond the area.

Naruto wanted to look on at the professionals but decided to follow Sasuke instead, there was now a dreamy quality to his eyes as he walked. Sasuke noticed that and wondered what was the deal with that, it loaned a feminine quality to Naruto that made Sasuke almost sick.

"If you will stop looking like a star struck fool will go eat," Sasuke almost growled. Naruto's eyes only went wider and dreamier.

"Ramen?" Naruto asked hopefully. Sasuke nodded hesitantly, and nearly ran into a kunoichi that was giving him the eye, as he saw the dreamy look that disappeared from Naruto's face and was replaced by one of seriousness and someone full of himself.

Sasuke would latter come to regret his offer.

Flashback

He slipped into the water gratefully even thought it was almost freezing. The lake was a sparkling clear blue. He scrubbed his body fiercely with a rough piece of cloth and settled for wetting his hair as a way of a washing it. But he felt cleaner his face was red from the rough scrubbing of the cloth and so was the rest of his body. The only think he wore were some too small swimming trunks that still fit him well enough.

He swam under and opened his eyes, he could even see here almost as well as anywhere else on the surface. He had to go up for breath and as soon as his head touched the surface and he was able to breath he realized that there was someone there, very near him. He immediately swam under as he sensed danger.

As he saw the surface he turned around and looked up, it was almost like looking through foggy glass. The figure looked down upon him and he instinctively new that the figure had spotted him. He started to doubt himself as he saw the figure turn its head around, as if it had spotted something.

What could be there? the boy wondered as his cerulean eyes saw the figure retreating further and away from his view. Then he understood he knew what was there. Oh! Crap my supplies! Without a second thought for danger he swam up furiously each thrust of his arms getting him closer to his target.

Without thinking he charged his body with chakra so then when he jumped out of the lake, and only getting faster as the waters weight released him.

It was one of those damned Shinobi's. His hair was long and black with a straw hat with the kanji for heart on it, he wore outlandish clothes and a big coat over them. He wore no identifying mark that marked him belonging to any village that the boy new off, and he knew all of them. The man was standing besides the boys' supplies and they were meager, less then he wished he had.

"Get away from my stuff!" the boy shouted and gave the man an angry look.

The man lifted up his head and smiled at the boy, "or what?"

"I'll kill you!" the boy said with as much conviction as he possibly could. But his heart fluttered at the thought of killing someone, and as if the blasted Shinobi knew this he smiled even wider. The boy on the other hand only frowned deeper then before. The Shinobi had left in a puff of smoke.

It wasn't until he was gone that the boy realized how tired he really was, he had released too much chakra and wasted most of it and his ten year old body couldn't take it. He slowly dressed himself in the ragged but clean clothes he had and went to get the nearly dry ones that he had left to dry in the hot afternoon sun. He was thinking of the Shinobi one of the unique people in the world, he wanted to be like them he always had.

He folded the clothes that had been left in the branches and slowly made his way back. He nearly dropped the clothes that he was caring and as he ran toward his backpack he did.

Before him was another backpack new and almost unworn. And as the boy rummaged through it he's eyes grew bigger and bigger. Here was everything that he would ever need for a long while, even medicine to draw poisons! There was a blanket and nutritious if not delicious food. And weapons with which to hunt with. As he got to the bottom of the backpack he found a note.

'Think of it as a loan kid'

The boy smiled and slept the exhaustion away.

End Flashback

They were now on the way back to the Academy. And Naruto was drowsy with food he had had.

"Man! That was a good meal," Naruto said with a satisfied smile.

"For you maybe! You ate half of my money," Sasuke mumbled.

Naruto only grinned.

End Chapter Four

Next Chapter: First day at the Ninja Academy.

So the fourth chapter is done. Any suggestions would be helpful. At about this point I have decided that what follows will follow. So please review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!;